The Wiz of Odds

Urine for Trouble Jumping Into Mirror Lake

Last night was the jump into Mirror Lake by Ohio State students, the tradition that takes place the Thursday night before the Michigan game.

But what exactly were students jumping into?

Students from the College of Earth Sciences tested the water last year before, during and after thousands had taken the plunge.

What they found was a lake-wide temperature increase of approximately 3 degrees during the course of the night. They also found a spike in ammonia. That means urine.

"It went from a background of 5.2 parts per million to a peak of about 42 parts per million," Steve Goldsmith, a postdoctoral research associate, told the Columbus Dispatch. "So it was an eightfold increase."

Goldsmith's advice: "Have fun, but don't open your mouth."

Game of the Weak

Mike Hlas is an award-winning columnist with the Cedar Rapids Gazette and force behind The Hlog. Each week, he will break down the worst matchup in college football. Considering the increasing number of uncompetitive and uninteresting games, Mike's task is harder than digging out from the rubble at Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame and USC.

Maybe if Charlie Weis had still been the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator, he could have talked Bill Belichick out of going for a first-down Sunday night at Indianapolis on a fourth-and-two at the New England 30 late in the game with the Pats ahead, 34-28.

New England lost after that mystifying decision by Belichick that didn’t work. Weis knew what to do with Tom Brady and when to do it. If you’re hiring after the season, Coach Belichick, perhaps you’d consider Coach Weis to run your offense once more. He did pretty well with you before.

Crewcut Charlie looks like he’ll be unemployed before long. His fifth season at Notre Dame is ending badly. The Irish are 6-4, not what they or their vocal followers had in mind when this season began.

Most of the Irish faithful gave up the ship two weeks ago when Notre Dame lost at home to Navy. After not having lost to Navy since Theodore Roosevelt was president — or so it seemed — that marked two straight home defeats to the Midshipmen.

That was followed by a 27-22 defeat at Pittsburgh, the Irish’s second-straight loss to Dave Wannstedt’s Panthers. Notre Dame is no longer as good as Eastern programs it once dominated. The die is cast. It’s over for Weis in South Bend.

Crystal Ball

A look at how prognosticators from around the country view this week's games.

Tim Sullivan, New York Post: Rutgers is quietly back in the top 25 and is 3-0 on the road, with an average margin of victory 14 points. That's enough evidence to take the Scarlet Knights and give the nine points at Syracuse.

Double D, Boston Herald: It's the last home game for Colt McCoy as he guides the Texas Longhorns against a Kansas team that has lost five in a row under embattled coach Mark Mangino. Lay the points and take the Longhorns.

Jon Wilner, College Sports Hotline: Iowa should be in letdown mode after losing in overtime at Columbus, and losing the Rose Bowl in the process. Take Minnesota and the points. In the Pacific 10, he's taking Arizona and the points against Oregon.

John Werner, Waco Tribune-Herald: It's quite possible that Texas A&M has the worse defense in the Big 12. But Baylor's defense is not much better. It adds up to a 38-28 Aggie victory.

Reno Gazette-Journal: The sharpies in Reno went 3-0 last week. The picks this week: Kentucky, Penn State and Northwestern.

Phil Steele: His top 25 forecast calls for Ohio State to slip past Michigan, 30-23, and Mississippi to upend Louisiana State, 27-17.

Reporters Notebooks

J. Brady McCollough, Kansas City Star: Kansas' Mark Mangino had similar issues in his first job nearly 20 years at Ellwood City (Pa.) High. Just weeks into the season, a group of disgruntled parents and players went to the Ellwood City School Board demanding that Mangino be fired. "It was a really nasty situation," said Thomas Costa, whose son, Landon, was on the team. Plus, Mangino went on a lengthy rant Thursday night to take on his critics. Click here to listen to the audio.

Dugan Arnett, Lawrence Journal-World: Players continued to pile on Mangino, some describing a well-intentioned disciplinarian but many others painting a picture of a man who was controlling, abusive and oftentimes kept players in an extended state of fear.

Sports By Brooks: The Ku Klux Klan will stage a university-approved protest on the Mississippi campus Saturday. The group is upset with Chancellor Dan Jones' decision to remove "From Dixie With Love" from the Ole Miss band's song selection.

Steve Guiremand, Las Vegas Review-Journal: Dennis Franchione has expressed interest in the opening at Nevada Las Vegas.

Rick Bozich, Louisville Courier-Journal: It's time for Louisville and Steve Kragthorpe to go their separate ways.

Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press: Should Saturday's Ohio State-Michigan game be it for Rich Fraud, or are Wolverine fans really that eager to engage in the dangerous revolving door policy?

John Henderson, Denver Post: New Mexico coach Mike Locksley, whose team is about to log the worst season in 112 years of Lobo football: "It's been a great learning experience."

Jon Solomon, Birmingham News: Would regional officiating remove bias or add problems? Plus, Auburn received a grade of "D" from the Black Coaches & Administrators for its hiring last year of Gene Chizik.

Ken Tysiac, ACC Now: The Atlantic Coast Conference acknowledged an officiating error in last Saturday's North Carolina State-Clemson game. Video of the play.

Scott M. Reid, Orange County Register: John Madden said USC needs to stop whining about Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh's decision to go for a two-point conversion.

Oregon's No. 1 Fan Bears Down on Arizona

Not even a blubbering coach can save the Arizona Wildcats from being destroyed by college football's most luxurious juggernaut.

San Diego State Athletic Director Resigns

San Diego State athletic director Jeff Schemmel resigned Thursday after an investigation revealed he requested university reimbursement for a rental car and gas he used to drive from Atlanta to Point Clear, Ala., to have a tryst with a married woman.

The investigation was launched after John Lineberger, a resident of Alabama, had subpoenaed Schemmel's university travel records. The action was part of divorce proceedings between Lineberger and his wife, Carolyn, who said under oath in deposition testimony that she had multiple sexual trysts with Schemmel in Dallas-Fort Worth and Point Clear.